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assembly

[uh-sem-blee]
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noun, plural as·sem·blies.
  1. an assembling or coming together of a number of persons, usually for a particular purpose: The principal will speak to all the students at Friday's assembly.
  2. a group of persons gathered together, usually for a particular purpose, whether religious, political, educational, or social.
  3. (often initial capital letter) Government. a legislative body, especially the lower house of the legislature in certain states of the U.S.: a bill before the assembly; the New York State Assembly.
  4. Military.
    1. a signal, as by drum or bugle, for troops to fall into ranks or otherwise assemble.
    2. the movement of forces, tanks, soldiers, etc., scattered by battle or battle drill, toward and into a small area.
  5. the putting together of complex machinery, as airplanes, from interchangeable parts of standard dimensions.
  6. Machinery. a group of machine parts, especially one forming a self-contained, independently mounted unit.Compare subassembly.
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Origin of assembly

1275–1325; Middle English assemblee < Middle French, literally, (that which is) assembled, feminine past participle of assembler to assemble
Related formspre·as·sem·bly, noun, plural pre·as·sem·blies.re·as·sem·bly, noun, plural re·as·sem·blies.self-as·sem·bly, noun, plural self·-as·sem·blies.
Can be confusedassemblage assembly

Synonyms

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1, 2. assemblage, gathering, congress, meeting. 2. throng. 3. congress, representatives.

Synonym study

1, 2. See convention.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

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British Dictionary definitions for assembly

assembly

noun plural -blies
  1. a number of people gathered together, esp for a formal meeting held at regular intervals
  2. the act of assembling or the state of being assembled
  3. the process of putting together a number of parts to make a machine or other product
  4. machinery a group of mating components before or after fitting together
  5. military
    1. a signal for personnel to assemble, as by drum, bugle, etc
    2. (as modifier)an assembly area
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Assembly

noun plural -blies
  1. the lower chamber in various American state legislaturesSee also House of Assembly, legislative assembly, National Assembly
  2. NZ short for General Assembly
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for assembly

n.

c.1300, "a gathering of persons, a group gathered for some purpose," from Old French as(s)emblee "assembly, gathering; union, marriage," noun use of fem. past participle of assembler "to assemble" (see assemble). Meaning "gathering together" is recorded from early 15c.; that of "act of assembling parts or objects" is from 1914, as is assembly line. School sense is recorded from 1932.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper